/*
 * Copyright 2011 The Rusted Roof, LLC.
 *
 *    Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 *    you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 *    You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 *        http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 *    Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 *    distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 *    WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 *    See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 *    limitations under the License.
 */

package org.proteusframework.api.model;

import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;

/**
 * Focused name and description narratives that describe a qualified name in human-readable form, in addition
 * to the optional definition of an icon resource that can be used to graphically represent the object.
 * <p/>
 * Displayable names are much more atomic than an {@link INamedObject}. Displayable names only provide contextual
 * metadata, e.g. a namespace, ID, name, description, and possibly an icon. In sharp contrast, an
 * <code>INamedObject</code> supports {@link org.proteusframework.extension.IAdaptable} and is automatically injected
 * with an {@link org.proteusframework.api.IDelegateConsumer} upon instantiation by the system.
 * <p/>
 * Generally, an <code>IDisplayableName</code> is used to <b>locate</b>, while an <code>INamedObject</code> is used
 * to <b>manipulate</b>.
 *
 * @author Tacoma Four
 */
public interface IDisplayableName extends IQualifiedName
{
    /**
     * Human readable name.
     *
     * @return Name
     */
    String getName();

    /**
     * Human readable description.
     *
     * @return Description
     */
    String getDescription();

    /**
     * Optional image  used to graphically represent the object.
     *
     * @return Image, or null if the object has no graphical representation
     */
    BufferedImage getIcon();
}
